Smart home defense chamber

ABSTRACT

The Smart Home Defense Chamber is a chamber designed to be installed into a wall for the purpose of storing, hiding, and securing firearms and valuables so as to provide an invisible storage chamber equipped with a means to alarm to prevent tampering, unauthorized entry and security from children and thieves. The smart home defense chamber blends into the walls they are installed into to insure invisibility. The chambers are installable in any location in a home or building providing quick and convenient access in the event of an emergency. The smart home defense chamber access panels are easily breakable and accessible from both sides which allows the user to get to, and into the smart home defense chambers much faster and easier from either of two adjoining rooms.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No. 13/787,836 filed on Mar. 7, 2013

of Mark Anthony Chavez and claims priority thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a wall chamber that is installed within a wall for the purpose of storing, hiding, securing and protecting firearms and valuables so as it provides an invisible storage chamber that can be equipped with or without a means to alarm to prevent tampering, unauthorized entry and security away from children and thieves. The wall chamber also provides the owner/user an advantageous means of access by breaking into through the access panels using blunt force in the event of an emergency. Rather than using a code, key, magnetics or device.

2. Description of Prior Art

Wall safes up until today have been only accessible through one side through some means of security such as a key lock, combination or biometric code the primary way of thinking was to keep the guns away from kids and the and the valuables away from burglars, which is still true in today's world with the exception that wall safes of today fall short when it comes to:

1. Another problem of the prior art does not alert you in the event your child is trying to access the safe.

2. Another problem of the prior art does not alarm in the event of an emergency, such as a break in or home invasion to scare off intruders.

3. Another problem of the prior art is location has always been in one place in the home not throughout the home which makes it hard to keep guns around the house without compromising the security of our families.

4. Another problem of the prior art is not interfaced to link up with your current home monitoring system.

5. Another problem of the prior art is not equipped for quick access in the event of an emergency. With the current safes of today you have to enter a code or use a key in order to access the safe which can be difficult when you are under extreme pressure or duress.

6. Another problem of the prior art is potential problems with a power outage in the event of an emergency such as difficulty seeing the dial or buttons in darkness, the safe is dead because you forgot to replace the batteries, or the power has been cut.

7. Another problem of the prior art is electronics can be fickle under electro static discharge and access to your safe can be interfered with in this event.

8. Another problem of the prior art is they are only accessible from one side in case of an emergency and they do not have a means to alert anyone or everyone that the wall safe has been accessed and potentially a gun has been taken out of its secure location by someone not authorized to use the contents of the safe.

9. Another problem of the prior art is that the intruder is not made aware the owner is aware and prepared to defend him/herself.

10. Another problem of the prior art is the current cost versus the location of a safe in relation to where the safe needs to be placed to be effective in the event of an emergency causes most homeowners to think twice about buying a gun safe. Therefore guns end up being stored in closets and drawers which makes it easily accessible but unsafe.

Currently in today's media we are seeing gun violence on the rise. Crimes are being committed by people or children gaining access to guns from either irresponsible gun owners or through theft. If gun owners had a means to store and protect their weapons these crimes or accidents could have possibly been reported early or potentially prevented. Under the current method of how we store our firearms, we currently have no way to know if and when they have either been tampered with or stolen by children and or thieves. If you add in the potential of a child or adolescent with some kind of personal vendetta or mental illness and you have guns lying around it is a recipe for disaster. Because of this we have created a better way to stow and secure your firearms and valuables which solves these issues but still allows the gun owner or authorized user quick access in case of an emergency. Our product also goes a step further to alarm in the event the safe is accessed under normal use and emergency as well. That way there is never a question as to where and who has access to you guns and valuables.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,755 describes A safe gun storage apparatus is disclosed for the storage therein and ready accessibility of a loaded handgun, said storage apparatus having child-deterrent latching apparatus provided therein is disclosed. A gun drawer containing a loaded handgun is retained within a cabinet which is substantially impervious to destruction and being pried open. Dual entry locking apparatus secures the loaded gun with the storage container. A first locking apparatus involving entry of a predetermined key punch code first unlocks a secondary child-deterrent latching apparatus. The latter unlatches after a given sequence of operations are carried out which then unlatches a latching bolt from within an opening provided within the drawer. The accessibility and, therefore, the gun within the drawer is provided in a quiet and otherwise undetectable mode of operation.

This equipment is limited and restricted by its location and accessibility. In order for a home owner to have many of these types of safes, they would have to put them in drawers and night stands all over the house. This can be unsafe for children if they somehow find the key or figure out the code. You have no way of knowing whether the safe has been tampered with or if your child could potentially have access to a loaded gun. Also burglars will steal a safe and take it with them so that they can open it later. The current safe in question also relies on first locking apparatus involving entry of a predetermined key punch code first unlocks a secondary child-deterrent latching apparatus. This can be problematic in the event of an emergency when you are scared or under fire. You may not remember the code or have enough time to go through the steps required to gain access to your firearm. These types of safes are also restricted to where they can be placed because you want to keep them a secret but a safe in the drawer sticks out so it will attract attention from either children or thieves. It could also be on the opposite side of the house when an emergency happens so you may not even have a chance to get to it in the event you need it.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,580 discloses a method for lockbox or safe for storing possessions, which can be installed in a closet in a manner that requires opening the lockbox before it can be removed from the closet. This is done by providing one or more extensions (such as side walls, rigid shafts, or end caps) that can be extended outwardly from either or both sides of the lockbox. When retracted, the lockbox has dimensions that allow it to be inserted into the closet through the closet door. After it is positioned on the floor of the closet, the compartment door is opened. This provides access to a mechanism that controls the positioning of the extensions, such as bolts or cotter pins that interact with multiple spaced holes in sliding mechanisms. The extension locking mechanism is unlocked, and the extensions are pushed outwardly until they press against the side walls of the closet. As long as the lockbox remains locked, the extensions pressing against the side walls of the closet will prevent the lockbox from being removed from the closet, unless the door jamb-and/or closet walls are destroyed. Since such destruction is beyond the capability and desire of most thieves, the lockbox and its valuables will be secure against most attempted break-ins. For homes or apartments, these lockboxes can also be screwed or bolted to the floor or wall of a closet, using screws or bolts that can be removed only when the lockbox is open. These lockboxes can also be secured in a similar manner inside automobile trunks.

This method is limited to its location since it has to be installed in an area where no one will see it. It will most likely not be accessible during a home emergency especially if you are not on that side of the house. This method of invention is also a target for a burglar because once they see it time permitting they will tear it off the wall and take it with them so they can open it later. This method also has no means of alarming in the event a child tampers with it so if you leave the key around some where your child could potentially gain access to the contents.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,466 discloses a method for an improved apparatus to lock a handgun within a compartment while the compartment is readily lockable to a stationary object using a detachable bracket. The compartment is only accessible by authorized persons selecting a particular code which unlocks a latch to open the compartment. The bracket can only be detached when the apparatus is in an open position. The latch can be lighted to allow the selecting of the proper code in darkness. The apparatus also serves to carry the handgun and can be subsequently used to so secure the handgun at another location.

This method is limited because it only serves as a lockbox for a firearm and has no real means of invisibility. It is also reliant on another cabinet to mask its presence. If the box were to be discovered a burglar would simply just take it and open it later. This method does not have a means to alarm in the event it is tampered with or broken into.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Our Smart Home Defense Chamber uses a fire resistant material sized for mounting flush within a wall and formed with a frame; to receive a specially constructed breakable panel equipped with or without a means to alarm when shattered, dented or altered by an intentional means of force and or normal access. The access panel when put in place is used to disguise the smart home defense chamber's location and contents once put in place the panel is then taped and textured to match the wall surface so that only the user and authorized person or persons know of its location. The smart home defense chamber can also be accessible through both sides of the wall if the user choses to install the smart home defense chamber without the back panel so when inserted into a wall cavity the back side of the smart home defense can be accessed by breaking through either smart home defense chamber panels to gain access to your weapons or valuables in case of an emergency. Both means of access are controlled and monitored by an onboard alarm and fire safety system to prevent tampering and non-authorized entry. The alarm feature for the emergency access door is a specially constructed panel or material that can be installed and or applied to any other surface the user chooses to disguise the safe with. Once the panel is broken the emergency alarm is triggered and an alarm message is continually played until the user resets the alarm. This smart home defense chamber can be configured to work with home monitoring services to alert the authorities of a break in or tampering. The smart home defense chamber can also be configured to have a hidden access door to be accessed through a means of similar materials fastened, glued, sealed, adhered such as a secured baseboard covering a point of access at the lower part of a wall. The benefit of our access door is that it is hidden as a part of the wall or within the wall cavity behind a specially designed wall fixture such as a light switch or electrical plug that is specially designed to move out of the way when the user wants to gain normal access to the smart home defense chamber for routine maintenance. The specially designed wall fixture is equipped with a means of security as well such as a special keyed fastener that has to be unfastened to prevent tampering and unauthorized access to the access door which is also equipped with a means to lock and alarm whenever accessed so as to alert everyone that a smart home defense chamber has been accessed.

It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a Smart Home Defense Chamber which will significantly improve the way gun owner stow firearms around their home in a manner that is both safe from children, completely invisible to non-authorized users and thieves, alarmed and advantageous for the unprepared home owner in the event a home invasion occurs when they would need to protect themselves or their families.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cost effective means so that gun owners will be able to afford multiple Smart Home Defense Chambers that they can install throughout their home to provide complete home protection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view looking into the smart home defense chamber showing that this installation only has one means of access, breaking through the access panel from either side according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front, back and side sectional view of the breakable alarm panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the breakable adhesive back alarm mesh that can be applied to any surface according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of the smart home defense chamber showing that the chamber can be accessed from both sides of a wall according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view of the smart home defense chamber showing a uniquely designed switch box capable of disguising itself and working as an everyday common switch for a fixture. The switch is also designed to be moved out of the way to reveal a locked access point to insure security and invisibility.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. Definitions

Owner, User, or Authorized user: from here on in to mean a person or persons authorized to know of the existence and location of the smart home defense chamber and its contents and is permitted to use the smart home defense chamber and its contents.

SHDC: is to be the abbreviation for the Smart Home Defense Chamber

SHDC-NA: is the abbreviation for the Smart Home Defense Chamber-No Access meaning that the chamber only has one means of access, which is emergency access.

SHDC-HA: is the abbreviation for the Smart Home Defense Chamber-Hidden Access meaning that the chamber has another means of access through a hidden entry point. Not visible to the naked eye. Not through traditional means as todays current practice. The hidden access is truly hidden and secured shut via baseboard molding refastened to the wall with nails and caulking. If hinges are to be used instead of nails the access is still sealed up with caulking or silicone to disguise and secure to prevent tampering and discovery.

The smart home defense chamber, wherein the access panel and chamber are made to be broken into. The breakable access panel is made of a similar material of lesser thickness and scored to aid in the ease of breaking into the chamber to retrieve contents. The scoring of the panel is to control how the panel breaks and separates, so to not interfere with the retrieval of the contents in the chamber.

SHDC access panels are made to be broken by force punching, kicking, hitting or destroying with a solid object. Not to be confused with other inventions relying on a key, coded entry, magnetics, card reader or some kind of device.

The term weakened is to be understood as a process performed on the access panel to aid in the destruction of the access panel. Weakening the access panel allows the panel to break and separate apart to allow unobstructed access to the contents in the Smart Home Defense Chamber. The term weakened is not to be confused or associated with an alarm system that allows access when the alarm is set off; or by using a key or some means of access. Methods of weakening are by using a panel made of the same material but of a lesser thickness, scoring the inside surface of the access panel on either side to create fracture points to aid in the control and ease of the destruction of the panel in an emergency.

Emergency access is to be understood when the user breaks through the access panel by force. The access panel is destroyed and the chamber is open allowing the user to retrieve their contents. Without the use or hindrance of today's current practices of keyed entry or some other type of traditional method.

Primary means of access is to be understood as physically breaking through a substantially weakened panel of the smart home defense chamber.

Dual access is to be understood as break through a weakened access panel on two of the smart home defense chamber from two separate adjoining rooms. The purpose for this is when the user is under stress or cornered they do not have to waste time finding a key, magnetics, remember a code or try to get to an area where they currently store their weapons. By making the smart home defense chamber panel's easily breakable and our chambers accessible from both sides. This allows user to get to, and into the smart home defense chambers much faster and easier from either of two adjoining rooms.

It is to be understood a method for using the smart home defense chamber comprising the steps of: where in the user brakes through the substantially weakened breakable access panel using blunt force such as kicking, punching, or striking with a solid object; user retrieves contents in the event of an emergency; user sets off or triggers an alarm; users home monitoring service is notified via the interface with the smart home defense chamber; the specially weakened breakable access panel is destroyed and must be replaced with a new access panel.

2. Best Mode of the invention

FIG. 1-5 shows side sectional views of the best mode contemplated by the inventor of the Smart Home Defense Chamber according to the concepts of the present invention.

3. How to make the invention

As can be amply seen from the drawings, the smart home defense chamber is built out of a means of fire resistant material in different widths, lengths, and debts to adapt to the cavity of any wall space not all homes or building share the same thickness of wall so our smart home defense chamber can be configured to accommodate different wall thickness. For the purpose that all guns are not the same in length, so is true of the size of the smart home defense chamber which can be larger as well. The access panel is made of a breakable material, treated, scored and of a lesser thickness to aid in the ease of breaking the panel in the event the owner or authorized user needs to gain access to the chamber at any given time. The panel for the chamber is also equipped with a means to alarm in the event the panel is intentionally or accidentally tampered with to alert anyone in hearing distance that something out of the ordinary is happening. For people that do not know about the smart home defense chamber they will just think it is a burglar alarm, but for the owner or authorized users they will immediately know that a smart home defense chamber has been accessed and a potential emergency is taking place. This invention can be made in 3 different ways to allow the owner to choose what type of features he or she wants. The first way is simply just the smart home defense chamber box. The owner can elect to hookup the alarm panel or not in this installation. This installation does not have a normal access door so after the alarm panel has been installed the chamber is completely secure. The only way to access the smart home defense chamber at that point is to break through the alarm panel under emergency access.

The second mode of construction/installation provides for a means of access through a hidden normal access door which carries a means to be secured, locked adhered, fastened and alarmed so that the user can have secured access to the smart home defense chamber when necessary. The owner can elect to not hook up the alarm panel. However the alarm system for the smart home defense chamber can be installed with a means to alarm under emergency access when the alarm panel is broken into or also under a lesser alarm for normal access when the normal access door is opened under normal access.

The third mode of construction/installation provides for a means for dual access where the chamber is built using a fire resistant box with only the interior side walls to secure it inside the wall structure. In this mode the front and back panels are both alarm panels giving the owner dual access from either side of the wall. Either of the smart home defense chamber's can be configured this way by removing the back panel from the SHDC chamber. All the user needs to do is plug the alarm panels leads into the alarm controller and install the alarm controller into a power source such as a switch or plug. If a power source is not available the alarm panels can be run off of the battery backup system as the primary power source. The user will then just have to change the battery over time as it wears out.

4. How to Use the Invention

The problem address by the Smart Home Defense Chamber are many as can be seen by those skilled in this art. The Smart Home Defense Chamber increases the ability to store guns safely anywhere in the home while increasing security and accessibility in the event of an emergency. The Smart Home Defense Chamber is the only storage solution that can be installed anywhere in the home or business in which only the owner and authorized users will know of its presence. The Smart Home Defense Chamber is the only storage system that is equipped with an alarm system that acts as much of a deterrent as the contents of the chamber. The Smart Home Defense Chamber is the only true child safe and burglar free system because children and burglars will not even know of its presence. The Smart Home Defense Chamber is the only storage system that has a tattle tale feature where it will notify you if the chamber is being opened. The Smart Home Defense Chamber is the only storage system that gives the owner emergency access without having to use some means of a locking system in the event of an emergency. The Smart Home Defense Chamber is the only chamber that can potentially save lives because in the event of an emergency when seconds count and location matters you have the ability to be prepared in any room in your home, office or building. How much better off today would we be if we had this system already installed where we have currently seen violence such as in schools, malls, campus's, and corporate buildings?

Thus it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not restricted to the particular preferred embodiments described with reference to the drawings, and that variations may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims and equivalents thereof. 

1. A smart home defense chamber comprising: a chamber made of fire resistant material sized for the purpose of installing within a wall to store firearms and valuables for quick access in the event of an emergency; a breakable panel is then applied to the exterior of the chamber to enclose the contents of the chamber; the panel is made of a similar material of lesser thickness to look and feel like the surrounding wall structure to insure the invisibility of the chamber; wherein the panel is weakened breakable to allow easy and quick access to the smart home defense chamber; and wherein the chamber wall or panel looks just like the surrounding wall so that only the owner/authorized user knows of its location, contents and presence.
 2. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 1 is made from a hardened fire resistant material sized to fit inside of a wall cavity.
 3. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 1, wherein the panel is designed to look exactly like the wall in order to eliminate tampering from children and non-authorized persons; the panel invisibility design blends in with the wall to allow placement in many locations within a home or office; wherein invisibility and anonymity of the smart home defense chamber provides safety from children and non-authorized people.
 4. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 1, further comprising: access through either side of a wall to the smart home defense chamber.
 5. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 1, further comprising: an alarm system access; wherein the alarm system access has two levels, one being normal access and the other being emergency access.
 6. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 5, wherein the alarm system serves two purposes; a. alert the user/owner of normal access to the safe when the smart home defense chamber is accessed under normal mode through the panel, a low tone alarm will sound so that the user and other parties around will know that the safe has been accessed, and b. a high alarm is set off to deter potential intruders and to notify everyone that an emergency is taking place and the owner/user is armed and prepared, when the owner/authorized user breaks through the panel to access the contents in an emergency.
 7. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 1, wherein the access panel is made to be broken into by blunt force kicking, punching or striking with a solid object.
 8. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 5, wherein the alarm system notifies the user/owner of normal access and/or emergency access even if they are away from the location where the smart home defense chamber is installed.
 9. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 5, wherein the smart home defense chamber is a passage from one room to another in the event of an emergency under emergency access.
 10. A method for using the smart home defense chamber comprising the steps of: where in the user brakes through the specially weakened breakable access panel using blunt force such as kicking, punching, or striking with a solid object; user retrieves contents in the event of an emergency; user sets off or triggers an alarm; users home monitoring service is notified via the interface with the smart home defense chamber; the specially weakened breakable access panel is destroyed and must be replaced with a new access panel.
 11. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the smart home defense chamber has normal access through a specially designed electrical fixture to hide an internal access door carrying a locking device so as to give the user access to the contents inside the smart home defense chamber.
 12. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the alarm system is hooked into a preexisting electrical fixture as a hardwired device.
 13. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the alarm system is configured to work off of a battery source when hardwired electrical service is not available.
 14. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein a false\electrical fixture installed near the smart home defense chamber conceals a battery pack if the smart home defense chamber is to be a non-access smart home defense chamber so as to make the maintenance of the smart home defense chamber easier and more efficient.
 15. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the smart home defense chamber is equipped to work with all of today's Home Monitoring Services.
 16. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the smart home defense chamber is equipped to work with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.
 17. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the smart home defense chamber is installed by a certified technician or the owner of the smart home defense chamber.
 18. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the panel is adhered to any surface in the event, the smart home defense chamber is not going into a wall where the outside surface would differ in appearance so as to adapt to its environment.
 19. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the smart home defense chamber is made of sizeable box that can be expanded or collapsed by a means of mechanical gears to allow the installer to install the smart home defense chamber inside the cavity of a wall structure without having to damage the wall.
 20. The smart home defense chamber according to claim 10, wherein the smart home defense chamber is equipped to photograph, video and record both normal and emergency access. 